Rinse, Repeat, Reverse
by Xion-Z-Forgotten
Summary: 'Running, like an endless cycle the path went on. You've been here before- and you know that. Now you're doing this again, for them, always for them. You fail, again.' -Cater centric oneshot-


Well here we go, first type-0 fanfiction (only fitting it's my favourite character). Hope it isn't too drabbly or bad, but the whole 'déjà vu' aspect interested me and I wanted to write something on it. She really has some interesting elements to work with, as do other characters~

I own nothing of course.

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><p><strong>Rinse, Repeat, Reverse.<strong>

Her feet were beating down on the pavement, hard and fast. And although her vision was blurred, her head was light and her breathing was ragged, she continued on with startling persistence.

_Where are you?_

She couldn't reach anyone over the COMM, every message was answered with the unwelcome sound of static. So she kept on running- past the enemies, past the civilians, her eyes were only searching for glimpses of red. Cater knew such logic was heartless, she knew it was wrong to look past the needs of others. '_But just this one time. Just this once…!'_

"Is anyone on the other line? Come on! Answer me!" She stopped running, clenching her forehead in frustration. The thoughts were beginning to surface again, doing what she thought was right, she'd will them away and continue on. The bad feelings- that overwhelming sense of déjà vu. It wasn't something she needed.

_Not now._

_You know what's next._

_You just choose not to accept it._

_Keep searching. Perhaps you'll find the truth. Accept it yourself._

_Not now!_

Picking up speed, she continued her pursuit forward. Shouting randomly the names of her classmates, only peeling her eyes for flashes of red. She was lost- separated from the group upon arrival. It was an ambush. They knew travelling to Byakko territory would be dangerous, even then, they weren't expecting an immediate ambush. When Cater came to, there was no one but her.

_This has happened before, hasn't it?_

_No it hasn't!_

_Cold, hard denial. _

Her breathing was getting worse and her eyes were stinging. She feared that if she stopped, she wouldn't be able to continue onward. By that point she was screaming- each and every one of their names pierced the sky. There were no signs of life, bodies littered the streets. By that point, the sight didn't sicken her. Her tolerance of it did.

_And what if they're among them._

_Be __**quiet**__!_

The panic set in, her mind was screaming. Her thoughts were selfish, she just wanted to find them alive- by that point she didn't care about anything else around her. She was forced to stop, the scene before her made her sick. A blockage of Byakko grunts, one she'd have to power through to continue searching.

"Tch. Get out of my way before I SHOOT myself a way…!" Far too tired to be as intimidating as she wanted, preferably the equivalent of Nine- she abandoned plan one and slid to the left. '_Charge damnit, CHARGE.'_

_Why not fall here? Trey di-_

_NO!_

She shot out a charged bullet at the group of soldiers. And quickly switching her ammo over to flames, she sent a few blazes their way. There was no way she could focus, trying so hard to ignore the things she saw at the corner of her eye.

_That bow does not belong to Trey._

_That mace isn't Cin's._

_None of it._

_But it is, isn't it?_

Cater let out an almost inhuman scream as she charged forward towards the remaining grunts. Never the one to fight at close range, she was uneasy and unpredictable. But by that point, she didn't care. Landing a shot directly in front of ones face, she slid back and gripped her gun tight with both hands.

_See you again._

_This isn't goodbye._

_You're right and you're wrong._

_I'm right and that's it._

A bullet grazed the right side of her temple, causing her to scream in a different way than from before. She was running, trying to get out of the way. Already beginning to hunch over, and now with the blood obstructing her vision. _Blind aiming. Damnit._

_Didn't King warn you about this?_

_Doesn't matter._

_He's gone too._

…_._

_Afraid you're joining them soon._

_**STOP IT!**_

She wouldn't stop firing. Shot after shot, clenching her teeth whenever she heard the pained noises of the soldiers, she refused to stop. Leaning over, shooting. On her knees, shooting. Until she finally collapsed to the floor.

_It doesn't matter how long you hold on._

_War destroys everything._

_Blind, hopeless confidence won't win a war._

_**Remember **__that._

Shaking, her hand was shaking. No, everything. The blood from her head wound seeped down and into the cold pavement, her vision beginning to blur and fade away.

_**Remember?**_

It hurt, gripping as hard as she could onto her gun didn't help ease the pain.

_What good's remember..ing…._

Bursting into a coughing fit, she used the last of her energy to turn her body around. Facing the sky.

_Something that you can't possibly….._

Raising her gun to the sky, as if to aim and shoot it.

_Accomplish….? Huh..?_

Her final bullet shot up, high into the clouded sky. The sound pierced her ears. The only feeling of bliss.

_Stupid. _

Heaving out her final breath. Her eyes begin to shut. Her final thoughts fuzzy, strewn with what if's and happier times.

_**That's why you try again.**_

_**-SMACK-**_

"What did I tell you, Cater?"  
>Her eyes slowly opened, she blinked a couple of times to gather her bearings. Hesitantly raising her head, she was welcomed with the site of her 'Instructor', glaring down at her.<p>

"No sleeping in my class."

For once she had nothing to say, she stared blankly back at him. She could hear whom she thought was Jack or possibly Cin snickering in the background.

"If sleep is such a hard thing to come by. Go to your room. Now."

The snickering escalated into full blown laughter.

"Enough."

"**Go**."

And things once again started over.

That one trace remained. And it forever would. That one lingering part, those blurred yet familiar memories. Deciding to surface once in a while.

_The clock resets. Everything rewinds. Try again._


End file.
